Hearts Secured
by AussieFicReader
Summary: Borrowed Hearts. What happened next for Kathleen and Sam?


I recently watched Borrowed Hearts for the first time in about 15 years, and for some reason it's caught my imagination. This is probably a one-shot, but may be continued at some point if I have any decent ideas of where to take it.

 **Hearts Secured**

Late on Christmas afternoon, our trio were enjoying the roaring fire. Zoey sat on the floor, absorbed in her new toys. Kathleen was busy with a sketch book and pencil, and Sam was engrossed in a book. Out of the stillness, Zoey looked up from her dinosaur. "Mommy, now that Senòr Del Campo has gone, do we have to leave?"

The adults answered in unison.

"Yes."

"No."

They looked at each other for a moment, then Sam started to get to his feet. "Excuse us, Zoey, your mother and I have something we need to discuss."

Kathleen smiled at Zoey as she followed Sam out, but she had barely entered the next room when she rounded on him, her voice fierce but hushed.

"Are you crazy? We can't stay here! The job is done. And whatever this 'thing' is between us, we are nowhere near that point."

"Kathleen, Kathleen, I know that. There's no reason for you to stay." He paused, drawing a long breath. "But I can't kick you out on Christmas. Just stay one more night. In the guest room. For Zoey."

Kathleen looked at him for a long moment, searching his eyes. He raised his brows at her, trying to appear as innocent as possible. She deflated. "Alright, one more night."

He grinned at her. "Okay. I'll take you back to your place first thing in the morning."

Later that evening, Kathleen sat on the couch with a reflective look on her face. She had removed her rings, toying with them while she stared into the fire.

Sam came in and settled beside her with a loud sigh. It had been a long and complicated day. Seeing the rings in her hands, he fumbled in his pocket for a moment before speaking.

"You know, that stylist did a great job kitting you out for this whole charade, but I always thought that these rings weren't quite your style. They're a little too... flashy." She looked at him in surprise, and he continued. "My grandfather didn't have a lot of money, but he had taste. He picked this out himself."

As smoothly as he could, Sam took the rings from hands and replaced them with a small velvet box. She gasped as he opened it, revealing an antique diamond ring.

Sam held her eyes, trying to read her thoughts. He felt nervous, hopeful, exposed. All feelings that he didn't remember feeling with any regularity before she arrived, but which now seemed to be his almost constant companions. He pressed on. "You are the bravest, kindest, most generous person I know. You are... perfect. All I have is money, and a lot less of it now that the deal is off. I don't deserve a woman like you. But, would you be my wife?"

She gazed into his eyes for a moment longer, then answered with barely a whisper. "Yes."

"You will? You'll marry me?"

"Yes."

In contrast to Kathleen's perfect calm, Sam was talking faster, almost frantically. "I'm not just asking for Zoey. I love her, I really do. I can hardly remember what this house was like before she came into it. But, I just don't want her, I want you."

Kathleen put a steadying hand on his arm. "Sam, breath. I'm not marrying you just because you'll be a good father for Zoey. I said last night that I felt so close to you that it scared me. It still does. But I know you won't sell us out. I saw that today. And I honestly can't imagine going back to that apartment and going on with life, without you in it. Seeing you across the breakfast table in the morning, chatting with you about our days, arguing with you... I don't want to lose you."

She raised her head to capture his lips. For a long moment, they poured all their longing into the kiss, until Sam reluctantly pulled away, meeting her eyes with his. "I love you, Kathleen Russell."

"I love you, Sam. So much." They paused, letting the dust settle in their minds. "You know, I've gotten used to being Mrs Field. It's going to be strange to go back."

"Then let's not wait long. Let's organise the wedding of your dreams, but do it quickly. This house is going to be awfully empty every minute we're apart."

They kissed again, a simple kiss of promise, looking forward to their new life to come. He placed the engagement ring reverently on his finger. Then, snuggled together, they sat staring into the fire.

After a few minutes, a new thought occurred to Kathleen. She turned to look Sam in the eye.

"Did you need that deal, Sam?"

"No, not really. Not in the way that all those people need their jobs. There were some international projects I was interested in pursuing with the proceeds. I could have travelled all over." He smiled at her. "But that's not so attractive now either."

She nodded her understanding. "Hmm. There's going to be a lot of change, isn't there? For all of us. Staying here and pretending was one thing, but..." She took a deep breath, silently wiling him to understand. "It's going to take me some time to get used to depending on somebody else again. Even before Jerry left... well, I've been holding the fort for a long time."

"Speaking of holding the fort, I still owe you." Sam let go of her hands and reached onto a side table, handing her an envelope. "Ten thousand dollars, as agreed."

"Sam, we just agreed to get married! You don't need to pay me!"

"Well, I already had the cheque written. And I want you to feel safe with me. To quote a very wise woman, I'm not going to be looking for a 'better deal' ever again, but I want you to feel like you have some security, some independence."

She smiled at him. "That's very sweet, but I'm not going into a marriage with one foot already out the door. I'm all in."

"Ok, then let's put it in a trust fund for Zoey. I agree with you; everything I have will be yours, and hers, but if Field Industries goes belly up, she'll be taken care of."

"Is it going to go belly up?"

"There are no indications that it will, although I'll likely have some work to do to regain the Board's confidence after today's little change of mind." He waved the envelope at her. "So, for Zoey's future?"

"If you insist."

"I do."

Sam placed the envelope on the table, then with all outstanding matters settled, he returned his attention to his fiancée and her kisses.


End file.
